Yarn winding and treating apparatus



Sept. 8, 1964 J. D. AUMEN YARN WINDING AND TREATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21.-

INVEVTOR. JOHN D. AUMEN 1M3 m. TM

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,148,087 YARN WDJDING AND TREATING APPARATUS John D. Airmen, Gulf Breeze, Fla, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Monsanto Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 161,136 Claims. ((1 118-8) This invention relates to yarn treating and winding apparatus, and more particularly, relates to apparatus adapted to uniformly apply a liquid treating agent to yarn being wound on a bobbin at increasing rates of speed.

In the processing of yarn, such as nylon yarn, it is customary to treat the yarn with a lubricant or other liquid treating agent before winding the yarn onto a bobbin or cone. The lubricant gives the yarn a desired lubricity and pliability to enable it to be used in weaving and knitting operations and improves the running qualities of the yarn. Other treating agents comprise liquids containing waxes, resins, dyes, etc., that are applied to the yarn for various reasons. The liquid treating agents may be in the form of an emulsion, solution, or dispersion.

In treating yarn with a liquid agent it is desirable and essential that the agent be applied uniformly to all parts of the yarn. However, applying an agent uniformly to yarn has always been a problem in textile processing. When yarn is wound onto a bobbin being rotated at a constant speed, the linear speed of the yarn increases correspondingly with the constantly increasing circumferenoe of the package. The speed can increase as much as from three to four hundred percent or more. Consequently, in order to uniformly treat yarn before it is wound on a bobbin rotated at constant speed, it is necessary to control the rate of application of the liquid agent in some manner to compensate for the increase in speed of travel of the yarn.

Many different types of apparatus are presently used to control the application of liquid agents to yarn. One common type operates by passing a yarn engagingly over one face of a driven plate adapted to rotate in a bath containing a liquid treating agent. The yarn is controlled so as to vary its chordwise engagement with the plate according to the linear speed of yarn travel. Another type of apparatus utilizes a rotatably mounted roll partially submerged in a lubricant bath. The yarn is passed tangentially over the roll while the amount of agent carried by the roll is controlled by a blade that moves, in response to changes in the yarn travel, either toward or away from the roll.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide yarn treating apparatus adapted to control the supply rate of a liquid treating agent in response to changes in the linear speed of yarn travel, thereby uniformly applying the agent to the yarn.

Another object of the invention is to provide yarn winding and treating apparatus wherein a positive displacement device is adapted to operate responsively to the progressively increasing diameter of a yarn package being wound on a bobbin or other yarn holder, to provide a correspondingly increasing amount of liquid treating agent to the yarn moving to the bobbin so as to uniformly distribute the treating agent to the yarn.

Accordingly, yarn winding and treating apparatus embodying the invention is provided and, in general, comprises a rockable lever pivoted about a pin and normally biased into engagement with a yarn package being wound on a bobbin driven at a constant speed. The rockable lever is operatively connected to the shaft of a positive displacement pump by means of a friction coupling member.

The yarn is forwarded to the take-up bobbin from a source of yarn supply and is traversed across the bobbin by traversing mechanism positioned in close proximity thereto. Prior to delivery of the yarn to the traversing mechanism the yarn is guided over a liquid agent applicator which is connected to the pump by a delivery line and which applies the liquid agent to the yarn.

The pump is supplied with a liquid treating agent via a supply line and is driven by engagement of the friction coupling member carried on the shaft of the pump with a disc driven by power means. The friction coupling member is adapted to be slidable along one face of the disc, and its position on the disc is controlled by the rockable lever. The rockable lever acts responsively to increases in the size of the yarn package wound on the bobbin to position the friction coupling member correspondingly nearer the outer edge of the disc. Since the outer surfaces of the disc travel faster than the inner surfaces, the disc drives the coupling member and the pump at a constantly increasing rate of speed. Consequently, the pump delivers an increasingly greater amount of liquid to the applicator block for uniformly lubricating the yarn which travels at an increasing rate of speed over the agent applicator as the yarn package is built up on the take-up device.

The details and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, which is intended merely to be illustrative and not limitative.

In the drawing, the single figure shows an embodiment of the winding and treating apparatus constituting the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the winding and treating apparatus shown in the drawing comprises a pump 1, of a conventional positive displacement type, to which a lubricant is normally supplied through a supply line 2 connected thereto. Pump 1 has a shaft 3 that extends outwardly therefrom and which is rotatably mounted intermediate its ends in bearings carried in collars 4 of a frame 5. Frame 5 is swingably connected at one side to a fixed base 6 and is secured in position at its opposite side by a spring 7 shown connected to a fixed beam 8.

The outer end of shaft 3 is splined and an internally splined annular coupling 9 is slidably and coaxially mounted on the splined portion of shaft 3. Coupling 9 has an outer friction member 10, preferably of leather construction, that is in constant tangential engagement with one face of a large driven disc 11. Disc 11 is mounted axially on a shaft 12 that is rotatably driven by a motor 13. The axis of shaft 12 and the axis of shaft 3 are perpendicular to each other. Shaft 3 extends in spaced parallel relation along the face of disc 11 to permit friction member 10 to be moved to different positions radially along the face of disc 11.

Annular coupling 9 is connected to one end of a rockable lever 14 by means of a link 15. Link 15 is pivotally connected at one end thereof to annular coupling 9 and pivotally connected at its opposite end to lever 14. If desired, an adjustable linkage arrangement may be used in place of link 15.

Rockable lever 14 is fulcrumed about the end of a spindle 16 driven by a motor 17. At its end opposite link 15 rockable lever 14 has formed integrally therewith a platform or table to Which a roller 18 and a movable traverse guide 19 are secured. Traverse guide 19 is adapted to be driven in back and forth motion across the platform by a cam and follower arrangement 20 of conventional construction. The cam of arrangement 20 is fixedly mounted on spindle 16 and is driven by motor 17. A spindle 21, driven by a motor 22, is positioned at one side of roller 18 in parallel spaced alignment therewith, and a bobbin 23 is mounted thereon.

A hollow trough 24 is positioned near the platform end of lever 14, and a liquid applicator block 25 is mounted at one end of trough 24 while a roll guide 26 is secured within the opposite end thereof. Block 25 has a recessed groove 27 and a bore 28 opening at one end thereof into groove 27. The opposite end of bore 28 is connected to one end of a delivery line 2? which has its opposite end connected to pump 1.

In operation, a yarn 30 from a source of yarn supply passes engagingly over the surface of groove 27 provided in applicator block 25, advances around roll guide 26, extends through traverse guide 19 and is Wound onto bobbin 23. Bobbin 23 is driven at a constant rate of speed by spindle 21. Lever 14 is biased into engagement with the peripheral surface of bobbin 23 by a counterweight 31 preferably formed integrally at the end of lever 14 opposite elongated roller 18 Prior tostart-u friction member is in an axialmost position in relation to disc 11, that is, nearest the center of disc 11. Pump 1 is supplied with a lubricant via supply line 2 and disc 11 is driven at a predetermined constant rate of speed. While yarn 30 is traveling over groove 27 and being Wound on bobbin 23, disc 11 drives pump 1 by means of friction member 10. Pump 1 then delivers the lubricant to the bore 28 in applicator block 25. Since bore 28 opens into groove 27 and yarn 30 normally passes over bore 28, the lubricant is applied to the yarn while it passes over the bore.

As the yarn is Wound on bobbin 23, the linear speed of the yarn being delivered to the bobbin increases due to the fact that the diameter of the package being formed on the bobbon increases. Consequently, the yarn travels at a faster speed across bore 28. If the lubricant is to be applied uniformly to the yarn, the lubricant must be supplied in a correspondingly increasing amount to the yarn.

The winding and treating apparatus of the invention is designed to compensate for the constantly increasing linear speed of travel of the yarn by correspondingly increasing the rate of speed of pump 1.

As the yarn package builds up, the elongated roll 18 feels the build-up and causes lever 14 to rock in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the drawing. Lever 14 then carries link 15 upward thereby shifting the position of coupling 9 toward the outer edge of disc 11. When coupling 9 is thus shifted, its speed of rotation is increased because the outer portions of disc 11 are traveling at a relatively faster rate of speed than are the more centralized portions. As a result, pump 1 is driven at a faster rate of speed corresponding to the change in diameter of the yarn package on bobbin 23 and to the increased rate of linear speed of the yarn being delivered to the package. Pump 1 thus delivers the lubricant to bore 28 in the applicator block 25 in an increased amount so as to compensate for the increased speed of the yarn. Should an excess of lubricant be supplied to the applicator block 25, a drain pipe 32 is provided to permit the liquid to drain from the block.

The winding and treating apparatus as described provides a uniform application of the lubricant to the yarn. The apparatus is simple in construction and operation, and does not disturb yarn travel.

It is contemplated that variations and modifications in the apparatus constituting the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The following is claimed:

1. Winding and treating apparatus, of the type in which the linear speed of yarn moving from a source of yarn supply to a yarn take-up device driven at a constant rate of speed increases correspondingly with the increase in size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device, said apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) reciprocable traverse means for traversing said yarn traveling to said take-up device,

(1:) liquid applicator means positioned near said takeup device and normally supplied with liquid for applying the latter to said yarn guided to pass at an increasing speed engagingly thereover prior to its take up on said take-up device,

(0) rotatably driven liquid displacement means adapted to deliver liquid from a source to said liquid applicator means in increasing amounts,

(d) disc means, driven at a constant rate of speed,

(e) coupling means connected to said disc means and to said liquid displacement means for rotatably driving the latter at a constantly increasing speed,

(1) weight biased lever means pivoted intermediate its ends thereof and being connected at one end thereof to said coupling means while the opposite end thereof is biased into engagement with said yarn package being wound on said take-up device,

(g) wherein, said lever means rocks responsively to the increase in size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device to operatively cause said liquid displacement means to deliver a continually increasing amount of liquid to said liquid applicator means.

2. Winding and treating apparatus, of the type in which the linear speed of yarn moving from a source of yarn supply to a yarn take-up device driven at a constant rate of speed increases correspondingly with the increase in size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device, said apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) reciprocable traverse means for traversing said yarn traveling to said take-up device,

(b) liquid applicator means positioned near said takeup device and normally supplied with liquid for applying the latter to said yarn guided to pass at an increasing speed engagingly thereover prior to its take up on said take-up device,

(0) rotatably driven liquid displacement means having a shaft extending therefrom and being adapted to deliver liquid from a source to said liquid applicator means in increasing amounts,

(d) disc means having a working face and being axially driven at a constant rate of speed,

(e) annular coupling means mounted in fixed rotational and in slidable axial relation on said shaft of said liquid displacement means and frictionally engaging said working face of said disc means for rotatably driving said liquid displacement means,

(f) weight biased lever means pivoted intermediate its ends thereof and being connected at one end thereof to said annular coupling means while the opposite end thereof is biased into engagement with said yarn package being wound on said take-up device,

(g) wherein, said lever means rocks responsively to the progressively increasing size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device to correspondingly radially position said annular coupling means on said working face of said disc means to operatively cause said liquid displacement means to deliver a gradually increasing amount of liquid to said liquid applicator means.

3. Winding and treating apparatus, of the type in which the linear speed of yarn moving from a source of yarn supply to a yarn take-up device driven at a constant rate of speed increases correspondingly with the increase in. size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device, said apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) reciprocable traverse means for traversing said yarn traveling to said take-up device,

(b) a liquid applicator positioned near said take-up device and normally supplied with liquid for applying the latter to said yarn guided to pass at an increasing speed engagingly thereover prior to its take up on said take-up device,

(c) a pump having an elongated rotatable shaft extending therefrom with splines formed adjacent its outer end thereof.

(d) a supply line connected to said pump for supplying the latter with liquid from a source,

(2) a delivery line connected at one end thereof to said pump and connected at its opposite end to said liquid applicator,

(f) a disc having a working face mounted axially on a shaft driven at a constant rate of speed,

(g) an annular internally splined coupling member mounted coaxially in mating and sliding relation on said splined end of said elongated rotatable shaft of said pump,

(h) said coupling member being adapted to frictionally engage with said working face of said disc for rotatably driving said elongated shaft of said pump,

(1') a weight biased lever pivoted intermediate its ends thereof and being connected at one end thereof to said coupling member while the opposite end thereof is biased into engagement with said yarn package being formed on said take-up device,

(i) said lever being rockable responsively to the increasing size of said yarn package on said take-up device to radially position said coupling member on said working face of said disc,

(k) whereby, said pump is driven at an increasingly faster rate of speed and displaces a correspondingly greater amount of liquid to said liquid applicator for uniformly applying said liquid to said yarn traveling thereover at a related increasing rate of speed.

4. Winding and treating apparatus, of the type in which the linear speed of yarn moving from a source of yarn supply to a yarn take-up device driven at a constant rate of speed increases correspondingly with the increase in size of the yarn package being formed on the take-up device, said apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) reciprocable traverse means for traversing said yarn traveling to said take-up device,

(b) a liquid applicator block positioned near said takeup device and having a surface groove formed therein to which a liquid yarn lubricant is normally supplied via a bore opening at one end thereof into said surface groove,

(c) said yarn normally passing engagingly over said surface groove while moving to said traverse device,

(0.) a pump mounted on a frame work and having an elongated rotatable shaft extending therefrom which is splined adjacent its outer end,

(e) a supply line connected to said pump for supplying the latter with liquid from a source,

(f) a delivery line connected at one end thereof to said pump and connected at its opposite end to the other end of said bore in said liquid applicator block,

(g) a disc having a working face and being mounted axially on a shaft adapted to be driven at a constant speed by power means,

(11) said elongated shaft of said pump and said shaft driving said disc being arranged in spaced perpendicular relation,

(i) an annular coupling member provided with internal splines mounted coaxially in mating and sliding relation on said splined end of said elongated shaft for rotatably driving the latter,

(i) said annular coupling member being adapted on its outer surface to frictionally engage with said working face of said disc,

(k) a rockable weight biased lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends thereof and provided with a roller at one end thereof biased into engagement with said yarn package being formed on said take-up device,

(I) link means pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of said rockable lever and pivotally connected at its opposite end to said annular coupling member for actuating the latter,

(m) whereby, said rockable lever rocks responsively to the continually increasing size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device to operatively cause said pump to deliver a continually increasing amount of liquid to said liquid applicator means for uniformly lubricating said yarn traveling at a continually increasing rate of speed to said take-up device.

5. Winding and treating apparatus, of the type in which the linear speed of yarn moving from a source of yarn supply to a yarn take-up device driven at a constant rate of speed increases correspondingly with the increase in size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device, said apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) reciprocable traverse means for traversing said yarn traveling to said take-up device,

(b) a lubricating trough positioned near said take-up device,

(0) a liquid applicator block mounted in said trough,

(d) said liquid applicator block having a surface groove formed therein to which a liquid yarn lubricant is normally supplied via a bore opening at one end thereof into said surface groove,

(e) said yarn normally passing engagingly over said surface groove while moving to said traverse device,

(f) a roll guide mounted within said lubricating trough for guiding said yarn moving engagingly therearound to said take-up device from said applicator block,

(g) a pump swingably mounted on a framework and having an elongated shaft extending therefrom which is splined at its outer end,

(It) a supply line connected to said pump for supplying the latter with said liquid yarn lubricant from a source,

(i) a delivery line connected at one end thereof to said pump and connected at its opposite end to the other end of said bore in said liquid applicator block,

(j) a disc having a working face and being mounted axially on a shaft adapted to be driven at a constant speed by power means,

(k) said elongated shaft of said pump and said shaft driving said disc being arranged in spaced perpendicular related relation,

(1) an annular coupling member provided with internal splines mounted coaxially in mating and sliding relation on said splined end of said elongated shaft,

(m) said annular coupling member being adapted at its outer surface to frictionally engage said Working face of said disc,

(n) a rockable Weight biased lever fulcrumed intermediate it sends about a driven spindle,

(0) said rockable lever having a roller and a reciprocable guide member associated therewith at one end thereof,

(p) said roller being biased into engagement with said yarn package forming on said take-up device, and said reciprocable guide member acting to traverse said yarn having engagement therewith prior to its take up on said take-up device,

(q) rotatable cam means mounted on said driven spindle driven at a constant speed,

(r) follower means secured to said reciprocable guide member and operable by said rotatable cam means for traversing said reciprocable guide member,

(s) link means pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of said rockable lever and being pivotally connected at its opposite end to said annular coupling member,

(t) whereby, said rockable lever rocks responsively to the continually increasing size of the yarn package being formed on said take-up device to operatively cause said pump to deliver a continually increasing amount of liquid to said liquid applicator means for uniformly lubricating said yarn traveling at a con- 7 8 tinually increasing rate of speed to said take-up de 1,798,889 Lamont Mar. 31, 1931 i 1,870,952 Frey Aug. 9, 1932 2,369,769 Bauer Feb. 20, 1945 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,463,111 Jones Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 532,312 Chambers Ian. 8, 1895 5,825 Great Britain AD. 1907 

1. WINDING AND TREATING APPARATUS, OF THE TYPE IN WHICH THE LINEAR SPEED OF YARN MOVING FROM A SOURCE OF YARN SUPPLY TO A YARN TAKE-UP DEVICE DRIVEN AT A CONSTANT RATE OF SPEED INCREASES CORRESPONDINGLY WITHTHE INCREASE IN SIZE OF THE YARN PACKAGE BEING FORMED ON SAID TAKE-UP DEVICE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) RECIPROCABLE TRAVERSE MEANS FOR TRAVERSING SAID YARN TRAVELING TO TAKE-UP DEVICE, (B) LIQUID APPLICATOR MEANS POSITIONED NEAR SAID TAKEUP DEVICE AND NORMALLY SUPPLIED WITH LIQUID FOR APPLYING THE LATTER TO SAID YARN GUIDED TO PASS AT AN INCREASING SPEED ENGAGINGLY THEREOVER PRIOR TO ITS TAKE UP ON SAID TAKE-UP DEVICE, (C) ROTATABLY DRIVEN LIQUID DISPLACEMENT MEANS ADAPTED TO DELIVER LIQUID FROM A SOURCE TO SAID LIQUID APPLICATOR MEANS IN INCREASING AMOUNTS, (D) DISC MEANS, DRIVEN AT A CONSTANT RATE OF SPEED, (E) COUPLING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DISC MEANS AND TO SAID LIQUID DISPLACEMENT MEANS FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING THE LATTER AT A CONSTANTLY INCREASING SPEED, (F) WEIGHT BIASED LEVER MEANS PIVOTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS THEREOF AND BEING CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID COUPLING MEANS WHILE THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF IS BIASED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID YARN PACKAGE BEING WOUND ON SAID TAKE-UP DEVICE, (G) WHEREIN, SAID LEVER MEANS ROCKS RESPONSIVELY TO THE INCREASE IN SIZE OF THE YARN PACKAGE BEING FORMED ON SAID TAKE IN SIZE OF THE YARN PACKAGE BEING FORMED LIQUID DISPLACEMENT MEANS TO DELIVER A CONTINUALLY INCREASING AMOUNT OF LIQUID TO SAID LIQUID APPLICATOR MEANS. 